It was half four in the morning. Not to the sort of time a person wished to be awake at but alas for Zoe, this was reality. It hadn't helped that she'd got in late from the pub. She didn't realise how late the leaving drinks were going on for but she knew she'd certainly underestimated it. Sam and Tom had insisted she'd stay until they left which turned out to be 12am. She also hadn't taken Nick's advice and gone easy on the vodka and coke's which she knew would result in a massive hangover in the morning, just in time for an early emergency department shift. It wasn't what she needed and it wasn't what Nick needed either what with them now being two doctors down.

Anyway, here Zoe was lying in her large double bed trying desperately to get to sleep. It was a hot night so her sheets were half on her, half hanging off one side of the bed. She'd dosed a couple of times but the headache she had acquired from her late night drinking session had demanded she stay awake. It wasn't just the headache though, Sam's words were also bouncing around in her brain. To others, did it really look like her and Nick were more than just friends? Did it seem like they were flirting with each other? Zoe prayed that they weren't giving that impression. She was adamant that it was just friendly chatter but she was unsure of how Nick felt. She didn't dare ask him though. Zoe felt so confused with her own thoughts but they just wouldn't escape her mind. Eventually at about 5.15am, she fell asleep with the alarm set to wake her up again at 7am for a 8.30am shift.

Sure enough, 7am came and the alarm on her phone gave out a shrill ring around the bedroom to which Zoe responded with a groan. She rolled over in the bed and tapped her phone a couple of times before rubbing her eyes and sitting straight up in bed. She really didn't want to get out of bed with her duvet wrapped warmly around her but she knew she couldn't let Nick down. He needed to have all hands on deck. She reluctantly crawled out of bed and grabbed a navy blue dress complete with a little black jacket to go over the top of it. Before getting ready, she quickly picked up her phone from the bedside table which had rudely awakened her a few minutes before. She unlocked the screen and she noticed straight away that there was a text from Sam, no doubt asking how hung over she was.

Message received at 6.55am from Sam Nicholls

'I know its early but I can't sleep, got a banging headache. Too many vodka shots ;) How r u feeling?'

Zoe laughed a little as she read the text but instantly regretted it as her head started to pound again. She put her phone down, deciding to answer the text later and put her fingers on the side of her head, massaging her temples. It seemed to ease the pain for a few moments. She took a deep breath before going the bathroom as she felt a wave of nausea wash over her. She was hoping that she wouldn't feel like this all day.

It took her about an hour to get ready for work. It was longer than usual but it was purely because she still looked at state from last night. She wasn't really in the mood to make herself look glamorous like she did in her usual routine but she knew she had to try and make an effort. Breakfast didn't seem very appetising either so Zoe just shoved a slice of bread in the toaster. Once breakfast was sorted out, she grabbed her handbag but left her car keys on the coffee table. There was no way that she would drive her car this morning as she knew there was a strong possibility that alcohol was still in her system. A taxi was certainly her safest option this morning.

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When she reached the ED, she exited the taxi and headed straight towards the staff room to dump her bag in the locker. As she approached the room, Zoe could see Nick standing over by the microwave, warming up what Zoe presumed to be a coffee. She reckoned she'd probably need something as well to wake her up a little. Nick heard the familiar sound of heels and looked round, smiling as Zoe walked in. Even from the distance he was at, he could see she certainly wasn't feeling her best.

"Good morning Dr Hanna"

"Is it?" replied Zoe in a rather grumpy manner. She opened her locker and threw her handbag in, before locking the door and turning back to face Nick. He was smirking towards her and this irritated her intensely.

"I take it my advice was ignored" queried Nick in regards to Zoe's drinking the evening before. In response to this, Zoe just raised an eyebrow.

"What do you expect? It was a leaving do!"

"Calm down, I wasn't having a dig!"

"Weren't you?" sighed Zoe, rubbing her forehead. She had taken a couple of paracetamol before she had left home but so far they weren't having the desired effect. The sickness she had felt earlier had subsided a little so she supposed she should be grateful for that. "You look remarkably calm for someone who's two doctors down" stated Zoe, noticing that Nick seemed very relaxed.

"Well luckily I managed to contact one of our locums last night and he agreed to start work here first thing" informed Nick as the microwave pinged. He pulled two mugs of steaming coffee out and set them upon the work surface. Zoe was confused as to why he had two mugs of coffee. She secretly hoped that one of them might be for her but she very much doubted that as Nick often complained that she consumed to much caffeine.

"Who's the coffee for then?" asked Zoe curiously.

"The locum. He's in my office now, I'm just running him through a few things" Nick picked up the two coffees again and started heading towards the door. He looked at Zoe as he passed. "Are you coming to meet him then?"

"Oh yeah sure" Zoe replied absentmindedly. She followed Nick obediently out of the staff room and within a minute they were at his office.

"Could you?" Nick gestured towards the number lock on the door. Zoe nodded and tapped the four digit number in. She pushed the door open and Nick went striding in to the office. Zoe lingered at the door for a minute, unsure of whether she was staying for Nick's briefing with the Locum. The Locum, whoever we was, was sat with his back to the door so Zoe could only see his head which was covered with a mop of brown, slightly curly hair. "Right Dr Russell, I'd like you to meet Dr Zoe Hanna, my second in command. Zoe, this is Dr Greg Russell, our new locum who also specialises in Dermatology" Dr Russell instantly got up and turned around to face his new colleague. He certainly wasn't what Zoe expected. His big shining blue eyes stood out against his fair complexion. A few strands of his chocolate brown hair was falling gently over his face. He wore a dark suit with a duck egg blue shirt underneath, not too dissimilar to what Nick was wearing. He smiled warmly towards Zoe who actually found herself lost for words.

"Delighted to meet you" Greg grinned, holding out his hand for Zoe to shake.

"Likewise" smiled Zoe, suddenly finding her voice. This man was absolutely gorgeous, Zoe thought to herself as she took Greg's hand.

"Dr Russell will be working in cubicles today to get a feel of the place. You and I will head up resus Dr Hanna" explained Nick, sipping his coffee. Zoe nodded in agreement to Nick's request but she secretly hoped that she could work a little in cubicles as well. Dr Russell intrigued her. He was handsome, obviously skilled but also slightly mysterious. This was what attracted Zoe to him.

"Well, I'd better start work then" Zoe said, backing out of the office.

"Okay, call me if you need anything" insisted Nick "We shouldn't be too long"

"Fine" Zoe answered as she shut the door to the office. She stood rooted to the spot for a few moments, her mind firmly fixed on Greg. She was suddenly brought out of her thoughts when she felt Tess staring over at her from behind the reception desk. Zoe began to wander over, interested to know what the Tess was smirking about despite the fact that she had a pretty good idea.

Once Zoe reached the desk, Tess spoke almost instantly "I take it you've met Dr Russell?" she said, judging by the expression on Zoe's face.

"Yeah, he's not what I expected to be honest although I'm not complaining" Zoe said the last bit in a whisper so that others around couldn't overhear the conversation. "He seems nice enough"

"And charming" smirked Tess who had noticeably taken a liking to the new locum doctor.

"Let's hope his doctoring skills are just as good as his charms" mused Zoe, her voice still low. She was about to say something else to Tess when the ED doors burst open with Jeff and Dixie hurriedly pushing a trolley in. "Duty calls" Zoe said, before following quickly on behind the two paramedics and her next patient.

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It was 11.30am and Zoe had sneaked outside for a quick break. Apart from the emergency earlier in the morning, the rest of the day had been pretty quiet but as Zoe knew full well, that peaceful situation could change at any time...

"May I join you?" Zoe heard a low male voice say from above her. Zoe looked up slowly, taking in the whole profile of the person from the feet to the head. They were wearing a suit so Zoe figured it had to either be Nick or Dr Russell. Zoe knew she could rule out Nick straight away though as she knew his voice. It was definitely Dr Russell Zoe decided as she reached his face. He was smiling again as he looked down towards her.

"Feel free" Zoe responded, scooting across the bench to allow Dr Russell some more room. He sat down next to her, rather close Zoe thought to herself. "So, how are you finding Holby?" Zoe began, deciding she should probably start up a conversation.

"New, interesting, exciting" replied Greg, giving a satisfactory nod towards the ED. "It's a challenge and I like a challenge"

"Well, you'll have plenty of them while you're here. Never a dull moment" smiled Zoe, reflecting back on her many years here. She'd had some good and bad times here but luckily the good seemed to outweigh the bad so far. "You specialise in Dermatology then?"

"It's always been my first love although it wasn't easy to get into it. Dermatology is a competitive field to get into. It's a very varied area of medicine as well" explained Greg, his passion towards his field of medicine shining through.

"If you loved it so much, why come to work in an emergency department?" queried Zoe.

"What's with the 20 questions?" laughed Greg. Zoe looked slightly taken aback, not realising how many questions she was actually asking. "Oh don't worry about it. I would probably have done that same"

"I'm just curious to why you left the field you loved"

"A few reasons really but I don't plan to divulge into them" Greg said firmly. It seemed clear to Zoe that Greg obviously didn't want to tell her anymore. He appeared to be hiding something and this only made her more inquisitive. "Anyway, Mr Jordan was singing your praises. He's evidently very fond of you"

Zoe's cheeks flushed a bright shade of red at this comment. She felt slightly embarrassed but also pleasantly surprised. It was nice to know that she still meant a lot to Nick.

"We have history" Zoe said simply.

"And?" pressed Greg.

"Well, if you aren't willing to tell me about your move from Dermatology, why should I disclose any of my past to you?" smirked Zoe, realising this was a way to try and get one up on Greg. He smiled and shook his head.

"Fair enough" He said, before standing up. Zoe was a little shocked that he hadn't tried to press her for more information but this confirmed to her that Greg was very determined not to tell her anything.

"Where are you off to?" asked Zoe as Greg started heading inside.

"Can't stop, work to be getting on with" he responded. He gave Zoe a small smile as he watched her looking up at him. There seemed to be an instant attraction between them and that was something that they'd both discovered. Whether or not anything would happen romantically though was remained to be seen...

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Does it deserve a review? I hope so, whether good or bad! It's always welcomed! Thank you for the reviews from GillianKearneyFan, HowCanITellYou and donna. A big thank you to those who have also followed and given it a favourite! :)

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